Betway Premiership: Barker excited for Stellenbosch FC’s season opener against Chiefs

Either the once mighty Kaizer Chiefs no longer strike fear in the psyche of opponents or the other teams have become stronger.

Imagine, going into Sunday’s Premiership game against Chiefs, Stellenbosch FC’s coach Steve Barker says he is excited with such a challenge. Back in the days, opponents’ coaches would sweat over the prospect of taking on the Soweto giants.

The Stellies’ trainer says he is looking forward to starting South Africa’s top-flight season with Nasreddine Nabi’s crowd- pullers at Athlone Stadium in windy Cape Town.

“It is a nice start to the season to play a team of Kaizer Chiefs’ following. They are a team that the stadium will be packed,” Barker said.

He added that having AmaKhosi as opponents guarantees a good vibe that comes with playing in packed match venues.

“The players deserve to play in packed stadiums. They have worked hard during the entire pre-season. We are excited for the challenge ahead of us. It does give us an opportunity to set a good mark for the season by getting off to a good start.”

Barker then laid down his expectations from his players, urging them to build on their 3-2 win over AmaZulu FC in last weekend’s MTN quarterfinal match played in Durban.

The coach admitted that the match against AmaZulu required a lot of energy, as it went into extra-time after the two teams were locked at 1-1 in 90 minutes.

“It is nice to stay in competitions,” Barker said.

“Our aim is to get to the final. It was good to get past AmaZulu. It wasn’t an easy game. It stretched us to the limit, but fortunately we showed enough resilience throughout the match. Very pleased to be in the semifinal.”

Elsewhere, Betway Premiership holders Mamelodi Sundowns will open the floor on the road when they meet Chippa United on Saturday, marking the start of eight games lined up for the opening week.

Full fixtures:

Saturday

Siwelele FC v Golden Arrows @ 8:00pm

AmaZulu FC v Orbit College FC @ 3:00pm

Orlando Pirates v Sekhukhune United @5:30pm

Chippa United v Sundowns @ 3:00pm

Polokwane v Magesi FC @ 3:00pm

Richards Bay v Marumo Gallants

TS Galaxy v Durban City @3:00pm

Sunday

Stellenbosch FC v Chiefs @ 5:30pm